Thune: Democrats Cling to Open Borders, Republicans Want to Secure America

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune's remarks below (as delivered):

"Mr. President, the Democrat Party has gone off the rails.

"It's no secret that the Democrat Party has drifted sharply leftward in recent years.

"And it's become increasingly divorced from the concerns of ordinary Americans.

"'Many Americans Say the [Democratic] Party Does Not Share Their Priorities' - that was a headline noted last year from The New York Times.

"But it is remarkable just how extreme Democrats have become.

"Everyone remembers the Democrat Party's flirtation with 'Defund the Police' a few years ago.

"But when it rapidly became apparent that we actually need the police, Democrats seemed to rein things in.

"But no more.

"In today's Democrat Party, 'Defund the Police' is back - and more strongly than ever.

"The reason we're here today, Mr. President - I would say the sole, sole reason we are here today - is because we're considering this reconciliation bill because Democrats refused to fund law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security.

"They refused to fund Border Patrol.

"And they refused to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"At all.

"They wouldn't agree to provide a single dollar for either of these agencies.

"Not a single dollar for a physical presence at our border.

"Not a single dollar to take criminal illegal aliens off of our streets.

"Really think about that for a minute, Mr. President.

"Is there any country in the world that doesn't have officers to protect its borders?

"Well, if Democrats had their way, that would now be the United States of America.

"The public record provides ample evidence of the fact that among those who try to make their way illegally across the border, there are bad actors whose presence in this country would endanger Americans.

"Democrats don't want there to be a single individual at the border to stop those individuals from entering our country.

"And they don't want there to be a single individual to enforce immigration law in this country.

"The various women who were murdered by illegal immigrants who entered the country under the open-borders Biden administration? What about those?

"Well, Democrats apparently don't think that even one of those individuals should have been deported.

"Mr. President, if what I'm saying sounds extreme, let me confirm - it is.

"But it is also an accurate description of the Democrats' position.

"If this were about making reforms to the way ICE or Border Patrol does business, then Democrats would have accepted the robust package of legislative reforms they were offered by the White House - or engaged in serious negotiations to tweak the package.

"But they didn't.

"They put up a good show - for a little while.

"But it rapidly became clear that Democrats were not interested in actually reaching any kind of agreement.

"And eventually they just walked away.

"Presumably because they felt that it was more valuable for them to have a political issue than to actually agree to any reforms.

"Of course, I'm not sure what political constituency they were appealing to.

"Because I don't think mainstream Americans believe in, for example, completely defunding our nation's Border Patrol.

"But then again, I'm not too sure the Democrat Party really understands or thinks about mainstream Americans.

"They're in the pockets of the far left, and so they embrace positions guaranteed to appeal to the far left - no matter, no matter how out of step those positions are with those of mainstream Americans.

"Mr. President, in recent days, perhaps realizing just how extreme 'Defund the Police' could seem to mainstream Americans, the Democrat leader has attempted to obfuscate what is happening here by suggesting that Republicans' consideration of this bill somehow means that Republicans are not concerned with the challenges facing ordinary Americans.

"To which I say, give me a break.

"This from the same Democrat leader who oversaw passage of legislation that plunged our country into an inflation crisis.

"From legislation to drive down the cost of prescription drugs at the pharmacy counter to our signature Working Families Tax Cuts, which permanently cut Americans' taxes and put more money in workers' pockets, Republicans have been focused - focused like a laser - on making life easier for hardworking Americans.

"But remarkably, it is possible to walk and chew gum at the same time.

"And we can protect Americans by protecting our borders and continue to pass legislation that will alleviate some of the pressures facing hardworking Americans.

"We not only can do both; we have a responsibility to do both.

"And Republicans are going to fulfill that responsibility.

"As long as we're in charge, there will be agents at our borders to prevent terrorists, traffickers, and other dangerous individuals from making their way into our country, and there will be agents to take criminal illegal immigrants off of America's streets.

"Our nation's security demands nothing less."

Permalink: https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2026/5/thune-democrats-cling-to-open-borders-republicans-want-to-secure-america